{"id":72330,"date":"2020-03-25T16:21:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T14:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=72330"},"modified":"2020-03-25T16:40:54","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T14:40:54","slug":"baruch-ben-neriah-always-a-secretary-never-a-prophet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/baruch-ben-neriah-always-a-secretary-never-a-prophet\/","title":{"rendered":"Baruch Ben Neriah \u2013 Always A Secretary, Never A Prophet"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"72330","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"445","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"And complaining about it doesn\u2019t help\r\n\r\n","content":"

Our Chapter is devoted to the continuing story of Baruch ben Neriah, the faithful secretary of the Prophet Jeremiah, beginning: \u201cThe word which the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he was writing these words in a scroll at Jeremiah\u2019s dictation, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah\u201d (Jeremiah 45:1). Since King Jehoiakim\u2019s reign began in 609 BCE, this prophecy can be accurately dated to 605 BCE. This takes us back to Jeremiah Chapter 36, when Baruch wrote down the oracles of Jeremiah, which were burnt by King Jehoiakim, requiring Baruch to write these prophecies again, but in expanded form, in another scroll. Now, in our Chapter, Jeremiah\u2019s prophecy concerns Baruch to whom the prophet\u2019s words are directly addressed: \u201cThus said the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning you, Baruch: You say: Woe is me! The Lord has added grief to my pain. I am worn out with groaning, and I have found no rest\u2026And do you expect great things for yourself? Don\u2019t expect them. For I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh\u2014declares the Lord\u2014but I will at least grant you your life in all the places where you may go\u201d (Jeremiah 45:2-5).<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems that Baruch had been complaining that \u201cgreat things\u201d have been denied him personally. Rashi (to Jeremiah 45:3) understands that Baruch is complaining that he himself had never been granted the revelation of the Shekhinah to enable him to prophecy.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael to Exodus 12:1 (Pisha 1), Baruch cried out asking God: Why should I be different from all the other disciples of the prophets? Joshua served Moses and the spirit of the Lord settled upon him. Elisha served Eliyahu and the spirit of the Lord settled upon him. Why should I be different? “I am worn out with groaning, and I have found no rest\u201d (Jeremiah 45:3)\u2026Come and see how the Lord answered him: \u201dI am going to overthrow what I have built, and uproot what I have planted\u2014this applies to the whole land. And do you expect great things for yourself?\u201d (Jeremiah 45:4-5). “Great things” refer to prophecy, as it says: “Tell me, now, of all the great things that Elisha (the prophet) has wrought\u201d (II Kings 8:4) and “Call Me and I will tell you (Jeremiah the prophet) great things\u201d (Jeremiah 33:3). God said to Baruch the son of Neriah: If there is no vineyard, there is no need for a fence. If there is no flock, there is no need for a shepherd. Why does this apply now? Since Israel will be decimated, but Baruch will live, there is no need for him to be a prophet: \u201cFor I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh (i.e. all Israel) \u2014declares the Lord, but I will at least grant you your life in all the places where you may go\u201d (Jeremiah 45:5). Baruch was not granted the gift of prophecy, but at least he remained alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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